Alvin Leung

“I may seem a tough guy, but I'm also very sentimental.”

“Airplanes are a good place to concentrate because you get no emails, no phone calls.”

“I like using Pat Chun in several ways but the most common one is to pair with tomatoes and Chinese preserved olives because of its sweet taste. I turn it into a sort of Chinese balsamic.”

“Foie gras is a breeze to cook, something that can't go wrong.”

“I feel and look healthy. So I will look good in a waitress uniform.”

“If you only use rich and luxurious ingredients, you end up with excess.”

“I can't remember a dish my mother made that to me was pleasant. To this day I have a phobia of instant noodles.”

“Diabetes is not curable. It's sustainable.”

“My mom wasn't a good cook. No, that was an understatement. She was really horrible. And in a Chinese family, that's a disaster.”

“It is not difficult now to make good food because we have sophisticated equipment and refined ingredients. Being innovative also helps you. It sets you apart from other chefs. But taste is king.”

“It's not that hard to make good food.”

“I think it is important to grab the moment and be ready when the opportunity is in front of you, but people may not be ready when that moment arrives.”

“I was possibly the first to showcase Chinese ingredients. So I was one of the first to say, 'Hey, you do not have to use imported vegetables to make it good.'”

“Everything I do is about Chinese culture. My dishes have to symbolize something because they taste better when people understand.”

“The Brits like to see their local chefs do well - when a foreign chef comes in - even Joel Robuchon - they are harshly critical.”

“I used to create meals for my friends. Eventually one of them suggested opening a restaurant. So I did.”

“For me, cooking is practical. That's the core of an engineer. Engineers are very practical designers and creative people. Every single thing I create has to have a purpose.”

“A symbol in Chinese Buddhism is the lotus plant, which regenerates every year, symbolizing life, renewal, and the Buddha himself. Actually it is used in many Asian religions including Hinduism. Few people think of it as food even though it is used as an ingredient all the time.”

“Cooking is physical; it's easier to learn than playing golf. You chop food, you pan fry it - what else is there to it?”

“Your best guide is a good word from a friend.”